Tuberc Respir Dis.  1997 Feb;44(1):44-51.

The Clinical Significance of gamma delta T lymphocytes with pleural tuberculosis

• Song KS
• Shin KC
• Kim DH
• Hong AR
• Kim HS
• Yong SJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The changes of the composition in the T-lymphocyte are important as an immunological abnormality in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Previously, the second type of TCR dimer(gamma delta T lymphocyte) that did not express CD4 or CD8 molecules was found. In other reports the presence of this type of lymphocytes was increased in the initial stage of tuberculous infections. METHOD: To determine whether there are some differences in the T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood or pleural effusion among the forty-nine patients were examined T-lymphocyte subset analysis(CD4+T-cell,CD8+ T-cell,gamma delta T-lymphocytes) with anti-Leu4, anti-Leu3a, anti-Leu2a, anti HLA-DR and anti-TCR-gammadelta-1(Becton & Dickinson Co.).
RESULTS
The average age of the patients was 50 years old(17-81year). There were 33 males and 16 female patients. patiensts with tuberculosis are 30cases(tuberculous pleurisy 15), lung cancer 12cases(malignant effusion 9) and pneumonia 7cases(parapneumonic effusion 6cases) In T lymphocyte subsets of pleural effusion, helper T lymphocyte(54.6 + 13.8 %) of tuberculous pleurisy was higher than that(36.2 + 25.3 %) of non-tuberculous pleurisy(p= 0.04). The peripheral blood gammadelta T-lymphocytes in tuberculousis was insignificantly higher than non-tuberculous patients(p= 0.24). The peripheral blood gammadelta T-lymphocytes and pleural gammadelta T-lymphocytes in tuberculous pleurisy was insignificantly higher than in non-tuberculous pleurisy(p= 0.16, p= 0.12).
CONCLUSION
The percentage of gammadelta T lymphocytes among the total T-lymphocytes is not significantly increased in the peripheral blood or pleural effusion of the pleural tuberculosis. gammadelta T lymphocytes is less useful as a diagnostic method of pleural tuberculosis.

MeSH Terms

Female
HLA-DR Antigens
Humans
Lung Neoplasms
Lymphocytes
Male
Pleural Effusion
Pleurisy
Pneumonia
T-Lymphocyte Subsets
T-Lymphocytes*
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Pleural*
HLA-DR Antigens